Bassoon 2015

Here we have James Jean’s work. He was born in Taiwan in 1979, so his work is informed by a diasporic sensibility and a keen interest in cultural syncretism. The figure in “Bassoon” presents a young person swaddled in what appears to be a head wrap, cradling a saxophone. The setting is destabilizing: they stand on red and blue stripes evocative of the American flag. The figure is also wearing streetwear; slides with the words ‘Supreme’ and ‘Roma’ can be seen on their feet. What do we make of this collision of signifiers? It is difficult to ascertain gender or cultural background, and perhaps that is the point. Jean seems to be asking us to sit in the discomfort of not knowing, while at the same time marveling at the beauty of a coalescing identity. It feels like a celebration of something new being born.